Emma Raducanu’s former coach, Mark Petchey, believes the tennis star is ‘misunderstood’ as the start of the 2025 Australian Open creeps closer.
The 22-year-old has struggled with injuries ever since winning the US Open back in 2021, when she defied the odds to etch her name into the history books.
Raducanu has often faced criticism in the years since, with some fans and pundits unsure if she has the desire to become one of the best players in the world.
Petchey knows all about the tennis star, having coached her briefly in 2020.
Emma Raducanu’s former coach, Mark Petchey, believes the tennis star is ‘misunderstood’ as the start of the 2025 Australian Open creeps closer
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And he’s now expressed a belief that Raducanu is ‘misunderstood’ – while also condemning the way she’s been treated by others since her win at Flushing Meadows nearly four years ago.
“There’s no doubt that she is misunderstood,” he told Betway.
“If there was an Olympic event for cutting people down who have been successful, as a nation, we (Great Britain) would win the gold medal for it every four years.
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“She’s had to deal with so much which must be incredibly hard for a youngster who is on the cover of every magazine and everybody’s favourite tennis player after the US Open.
“Obviously when things don’t go from strength to strength, attitudes of some people change.
“She’s already getting called a one-Slam wonder like she’s never going to win one again, and that must be incredibly difficult to deal with.
“People love to take pot shots at her but there’s a lot more to her than just being a tennis player.
“There is so much more to her personality, and she has so many other interests which people don’t realise.
“She’s not arrogant, but you’ve got to be confident. You’ve got to believe in yourself to exist and survive. Let alone thrive.
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Emma Raducanu’s former coach, Mark Petchey, has fumed at the treatment the tennis star receives at the Australian Open approaches
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“Tennis is a ruthless hostile environment where you have at a Grand Slam, 127 other players who absolutely want to beat your brains out.
“They want the same dream that you’re fighting for, the same trophy and only one person is going to put a pair of hands on that silverware at the end of it.
“So, if you don’t back yourself, no one else is going to back you.”
Emma Raducanu has been practicing ahead of the Australian Open
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Raducanu will face 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.
There have been fears she could be forced to pull out of the major, having recently withdrawn from a warm-up tournament in Auckland.
Yet Raducanu appears ready to go, with the Briton spending time practicising at Melbourne Park this week.